A Promise Kept
by AnArtistAngelWrites
Summary: Norman Jayden does what he can to keep his promise to save Shaun Mars and get Ethan Mars to reunite again. Trouble comes up at the warehouse but Jayden gets a surprising helping hand. (A somewhat different take on Jayden alone at the warehouse, accompanied by a somewhat different 'Innocent ending'.)


**A Promise Kept**

_"Please, save my son! I beg you, you're his last chance! Save my son!"_

The words continuously played through Jayden's head as he pushed his way into the old warehouse. The desperate tone that belonged to Ethan Mars became his main motivator when it came to finding the address where the boy was. It wasn't just about finding the kid alive to finish the case anymore. It felt like much more than that. He needed to find the kid alive so he could return him to his loving father, a man who clearly would do anything for his son. It was a shame that not everyone could see that.

For safety measures, he pulled out his firearm and cautiously made his way through. The killer could be nearby; he scanned around the area. The rain was reaching critical levels. There wouldn't be much time left to save Shaun if this was the wrong address. He was pretty positive this was the place, though. It seemed like the perfect place for a killer.

When he neared a crate, he pocketed his gun and went down onto his knees.

"Holy Christ…"

Shaun Mars was in the well, floating there, his small head barely above the water. His eyes were closed and he wasn't moving.

Jayden gripped at the metal bars. "Hang on, kid!" He started to tug at the crate. "I'll get you out of there!"

He tugged repeatedly at the crate but to no avail. _Fucking lock_. He gave up tugging and reached into his coat. He swiftly pulled out his gun and aimed it carefully at the lock before blasting the damn thing off. He reached down and started to lift the crate open and damn the thing was heavy as hell. What was the point in having a lock on it if it was this heavy? Was the Origami Killer really that paranoid of possible escape? There was no way a child could push it open.

He reached down and lifted the boy out of the water and carefully laid him on his back. He temporarily paused when he let go of him. He wasn't moving. The boy wasn't moving. Jayden leaned forward. He felt a chill run down his spine.

"Oh shit…He's not breathing…He's not breathing!"

He wasted no time in placing his hands on the kid's chest and pressing down. "Come on, breathe, breathe!" He pushed down on his chest three more times before letting go. He leaned down and attempted mouth-to-mouth.

He couldn't let this happen. Not when he had gotten so far. He had also promised Ethan Mars he would save his son. He hadn't said it out loud, he didn't need to. It was a silent promise and he wanted to keep it. He couldn't let this kid die. He didn't even want to imagine what it would do to Ethan if he did.

Ethan seemed like a person who couldn't take much more heartache. Jayden knew about what happened to his first son and that's what set him off into a depression. Even if it had been two years, the father was still struggling with it. Now that Shaun had also been suffering, that was too much for Ethan. It would be too much for anybody.

If Shaun were to die…

Jayden tried harder. He tried pushing Shaun's chest harder, tried to give more air to him. When nothing worked, he pulled back. He slouched, staring at the unresponsive child. He felt his heart sink as dread washed over him. He gently placed a hand on the child's head. He wasn't sure what he would tell Ethan. Or anybody for that matter.

He was a trained FBI agent and yet he couldn't save one small boy.

Right as he felt the sense of dread worsen, he noticed movement. Shaun's eyes opened just a little and he started coughing. Jayden's heartbeat picked up and a new found sense of relief came over him. He exhaled a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding in.

"You're okay, Shaun, you're okay," he gently told him, rubbing the top of the boy's head. "You're safe now, you're safe..."

Not completely and utterly safe. Jayden still had to get him out of the warehouse and straight to a hospital. No doubt Shaun had already developed a fever. He needed to get treated before it got worse.

He didn't even get the chance to attempt it before hell started up again. A boot slammed into his back, knocking him forward and away from Shaun.

"What are you doing here?! You're NOT his father!"

Jayden twisted around and tried to pull himself to his hands and knees. The Origami Killer stood not far from where he kicked him. His eyes went to Shaun and he felt relief when he saw that the killer wasn't going for him, too.

"Only his father can save him!"

Ethan had tried to save him. He did the best he could but the poor man got arrested again. At that time, there really was nothing Jayden could do. The only thing he could do was find Shaun for him.

He almost managed to get up but the Origami Killer kicked at his ribcage, knocking him back again. "You've got no business here."

At that point, he was surprised he hadn't had anything broken. The past couple days felt like he was getting nothing but a beating. First he had to deal with Korda, which wasn't too bad since he did manage to win, but it still wore him out. Then there was Mad Jack and that car situation, something he never wanted to look back on again. Then he had already had an encounter with the Origami Killer (not that he knew that at the time) back at the Blue Lagoon.

Beating after beating. Cons of being an FBI agent, he supposed. But now was not the time to be thinking about himself. He had to focus on what was happening right now.

"I've waited so long for a father capable of giving his life to save his son…"

Ethan had tried. He god damn tried.

"And what do I get?!"

The good thing about the Origami Killer monologuing was that it gave Jayden some time to get back up. That was the plan. But since when did his plans turn out well?

"Nothing! Nobody!"

The killer aggressively kicked Jayden's jaw, causing him to collapse onto his front again. Shit. This man had a lot of personal issues that he really needed to get sorted out.

"What's real love, if it isn't sacrifice?!" He ranted and raved. He temporarily looked away from Jayden, swinging his gun around. During that split fraction of a second, Jayden tried to think of more plans. "All these people saying they love each other…" The killer whipped back around and directed his gun at Jayden's face. "They're just a pack of liars!"

He really needed to get these personal issues sorted out.

"You shouldn't have gotten mixed up in this."

He was the FBI, it was his job. He also made a promise, which almost felt more important. He wouldn't be able to reason with him, though. Not while he was in such a distraught state. He had to think of something else.

Jayden tried to swipe the gun away, albeit a bit weakly as he tried to steady himself. "You discovered my little secret." Thankfully with the man ranting the way he was, he didn't seem to be paying all too good attention to Jayden trying to take his gun. "And it will die with you—"

"Don't fucking move!"

Both men froze at the sudden voice. Jayden knew the voice but it wasn't one he expected to hear. He hadn't expected to hear anyone, as a matter of fact. He was sure he had come alone. He didn't tell anyone where he was going. So either Blake stalked him or the police finally discovered where the warehouse was on their own.

…For some reason, Jayden couldn't help but think that Blake stalked him here.

Right now, that really didn't matter. He never thought he would be grateful to Blake of all people, but he was. Had he not shown up when he did, there was a possibility that if Jayden messed up in trying to grab the Origami Killer's gun, he would be dead. He would thank Blake later, if the chance came up.

"_Scott_ _fucking_ _Shelby_," Blake spat, sounding disgusted, almost more disgusted when he spoke Jayden's first name. "It was you the whole _fucking_ time?"

"Carter," the Origami Killer (like hell he deserved the honour of Jayden calling him by his actual name), said, his voice stone cold.

From the way they addressed each other, Jayden came to the conclusion that they knew each other somehow. No, not _somehow_. The Origami Killer was previously a police lieutenant. Blake was no doubt in the force the same time as him. They probably worked together for a while. He wasn't sure how long but enough for them to be on a first name basis.

Jayden peered passed the killer and tried to get a good look at Blake's face. It was his usual scowl but something seemed a little off. It was hard to see from how far away he was, but he was sure he saw a bit of…hurt? Betrayal? _Something_ in Blake's eyes. It definitely wasn't something that suited him.

So, maybe the two of them were friends longer than Jayden assumed. Interesting.

"You killed eight kids and for _what_?" Blake's scowl deepened and he moved closer, his gun still aimed at the killer.

Had Blake overheard their conversation before coming in? Or maybe he was doing Jayden a favour by keeping the killer's attention. If that was the case, then he had to hurry and think of something and think of something fast.

He looked around and ignored whatever conversation was going on with the other two men. Then he spotted it. A long metal pole nearby. He slowly dragged himself over to it, being as silent as possible. He reached out and barely managed to snag onto it with his fingers.

On wobbly feet, he stood and quietly snuck behind the killer. Then, he slammed the pole against his head, right as he was about to lift his gun at Blake. The man grunted loudly and collapsed onto his front. It was surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, satisfying to watch him go down. He wasn't dead, Jayden made sure of that, made sure not to hit him too hard. Perhaps as hard as he had hit Korda with the crowbar.

…Well, maybe a little harder. Still not enough to kill him, though, which was what Jayden intended. He didn't want to turn into a murderer. The Origami Killer would get what he deserved. Either he would get life in prison or the death sentence, Jayden was sure. He would be fine with either. He just needed to get punished for what he did.

Blake lowered his gun and put it away as he walked over. He looked down at his former friend. Jayden watched him for a moment. Maybe he needed some time to process what was going on. In the meantime, there was something much more important to take care of.

Jayden went back to Shaun's side. He looked him over for any injuries and saw none. He still had to ask, though. "Are you alright, Shaun?"

Shaun barely nodded. "Yes…yes, I think so…" His voice was barely audible. He looked disheartened and worried. "Where's dad…?"

"He's fine, don't worry," Jayden said carefully. He gently rubbed the top of his head again, maybe that would help calm him down a bit. "I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay? You'll see your dad soon."

Jayden carefully lifted the boy into his arms and held him securely to his chest. He looked behind him. Blake had finished cuffing the killer and roughly pulled his unconscious body from the ground.

"…Thank you, Blake."

"Don't get used to it."

"Trust me, I won't."

* * *

Jayden wasn't expecting silence when he opened Ethan Mars' cell and told him about his son. He expected an outburst of tears and words that would probably be hard to make out if he were to say them while sobbing. Instead, the man stood there, eyes wide and mouth open. Hell, his body didn't even shake, he didn't even move from the cell. It was like he was a frozen statue and that was it.

"…Ethan?" Jayden hesitantly walked in. Maybe he needed a doctor.

Everyone involved in this whole thing probably needed a doctor actually. Especially Shaun. Poor kid would no doubt suffer from PTSD for a while. Ethan would probably suffer from more of it. Jayden…well. Jayden felt a sense of shock of all this as well but he felt he should be fine.

Jayden stumbled back when Ethan abruptly moved forward and wrapped his arms around him. Jayden was the one who froze now. This, again, was not what he had expected. It was good that Ethan had finally moved, though.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

Ethan was sobbing now. Jayden swore he heard a little laugh in there, a laugh of relief and not insanity, thankfully. Still not quite sure what to do, Jayden hesitantly patted Ethan's back with one hand. If he needed a shoulder to cry on, he assumed that he was the most appropriate person to do it with.

It felt like a long time but it was probably only five minutes. Ethan finally pulled back. He had a smile on his face and tears were still slightly visible on his face. He looked even more exhausted but at least he was smiling and seemed to have calmed down.

Ethan rubbed at his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. "I want to hold him, can I see him?"

Jayden smiled now. "Yeah, you can see him. He's at the hospital." He didn't fail to notice Ethan's smile drop and his expression turn to worry. Jayden raised his hand quickly and stopped him from speaking. "He _is _okay. He's just got quite a fever but it isn't fatal. He's going to live."

Ethan placed a hand over his heart. "You can't say things like that…Not now."

"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful," Jayden apologized awkwardly.

Jayden led Ethan out of his cell and closed the door behind him. He may not have been officially approved to leave yet; they still needed to work some things out. However, Ethan was an innocent man and now everyone knew it. Jayden was allowed to take him out as far as he was concerned. The father needed to see his son; he had waited far too long.

The drive was mostly silent but not awkward. It was actually Ethan who decided to start talking.

"I don't know how to thank you," he said, shaking his head lightly.

"You said it quite enough," Jayden replied. "You don't have to say any more. I'm just glad I managed to help you."

It was true. There were times where he felt a sense of despair that he would fail. While he was trying to find the warehouse address, for example. Inside ARI it had started to get a bit hurtful. One of his eyes had started bleeding, and it was then that he was worried he wouldn't find the address and die in ARI. That was a nightmare in of itself.

There was an earlier event as well. Mad Jack. He was more than lucky to survive that. He had no idea how he did it. It made him not want to go to a scrapyard again. That was one incident he would much prefer to not look back on.

This was one hell of a week. He would need some time to process everything. But, he felt such a great sense of satisfaction knowing he had helped save Ethan's son.

…He wasn't the only one, though. He had to give credit where credit was due.

"Lieutenant Blake helped, too," he finally said. He wasn't the least bit surprised when Ethan shot a more than shocked look at him. Jayden almost laughed. "It's true. He saved me from being killed. He brought in the Origami Killer."

Which was why the man couldn't protest to him taking Ethan out of the cell early. Just because he caught the real Origami Killer didn't mean he would let Ethan out. It would be a miracle if he did. Hell, Jayden would just think everything was a dream if Blake did something like that. It was Carter Blake after all.

"…Tell him thank you, for me."

Great, he had to thank him twice now. For some reason, though, he felt somewhat amused about it. It would probably annoy Blake, so his suffering would be worth it. "I will."

The car ride was silent after that and again, it wasn't awkward. It felt somewhat natural. Like a friend driving another friend. With the exception that they weren't exactly on 'friend level'. They weren't enemies of any sort, though. Not the way he was with Blake. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it felt a little nice to have a companion at the very least.

When they got to the hospital, Ethan wasted no time in hopping out of the car. Jayden caught up quickly and made sure to close the door Ethan kept open in his hurry. He followed him inside and watched for a moment.

"I'm Ethan Mars, I'm here to see my son," Ethan said, sounding desperate.

The woman at the desk almost looked skeptical. "Aren't you…?"

Jayden quickly stepped in. "No. He isn't the Origami Killer. The killer has been dealt with already."

Considering how much press was attracted to the case, he was surprised that the news hadn't been leaked yet. Or maybe it was. Maybe the woman assumed that Ethan was still supposed to be in jail, because of course that would also make the news.

"Please, please let me see him," Ethan pleaded.

"He's the boy's father. He is also a free man. He has the right to see him," Jayden also added in. Honestly, he just wanted Ethan to get to his boy more than anything. Ethan would probably pass out if he didn't.

The woman nodded finally and smiled slightly. "I'll take you to him."

Finally.

The woman started to lead Ethan down the hall but the man stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder. "You're not coming? I thought you might…?"

Jayden shook his head. "No. You two need some time alone. I'm content knowing he's alive and with his father again."

Ethan nodded, smiled, waved and then continued to walk with the nurse to his son's room.

Jayden watched him go with a smile on his face.

Everything would be fine.

* * *

I was fascinated when I found out that Jayden could go to the warehouse on his own. At the time I played, I didn't know how many different outcomes there could be, so when I saw a video showing just Jayden, I was intrigued. I really liked his version. I liked how desperate he was to save Shaun and how relieved he was when he saw the boy wake up when he thought he failed. Jayden's a saint.

I wanted to write my own version of it with Blake in it since he didn't show up in the game. I was fine with that, though, because I hate him. XD Still, I wanted to add him in and be a good guy for once. Also, he wasn't standing behind Jayden and Shelby, watching Jayden get beaten before he decided to step in, unlike how he does if you fail the fight with Korda. He really did just come in and didn't wait for Jayden to be almost completely unconscious. Surprising, right? Lmao.

I also added in some personal things that happened in my first playthrough, like the ARI situation and Mad Jack. When I typed that Jayden didn't know how he survived, that was basically me projecting because I honestly have no idea how I managed to save him from Mad Jack. That second fight was scary as shit, especially for someone who isn't a gamer. XD

Also, I wanted to do the 'Innocent ending' a bit differently here too because I don't like the fact that Ethan had to wait weeks to get out, so I decided to have Jayden pull some strings and get him out early and to the hospital to see his boy. Also, I just wanted some more Ethan and Jayden screen time. I can easily imagine them becoming good friends after all this. I think it's also quite clear that Ethan trusts Jayden because of how he begs him to save Shaun after he's arrested a second time, and I think it's because of the fact that Jayden broke him out the first time. I can't see Ethan begging someone else (looking at you Lieutenant Asshat) for help seeing as everyone but Jayden was out to get him.

Whoo, sorry for all the ranting. I just wanted to share some things. But that's enough, I'm done now.

_Thank you for reading._


End file.
